The following concurrently filed, commonly owned, patent applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety:
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/894,862, entitled xe2x80x9cA Computer Aided design Method and System For Developing A Microfluidic System,xe2x80x9d by Michael Lee, et. al.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/894,858, entitled xe2x80x9cAn Object Oriented Microfluidic Design Method And System,xe2x80x9d by Gregory Harris, et. al.
The following references are incorporated herein by reference each in its entirety:
PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US00/17740, entitled xe2x80x9cMicrofabricated Elastomeric Valve and Pump Systems,xe2x80x9d filed Jun. 27, 2000 (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/605,520);
PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US99/13050, entitled xe2x80x9cMicrofabricated Sorter for Biological and Chemical Materialsxe2x80x9d filed May 21, 1999; and
U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/282,253, entitled xe2x80x9cMicrofabricated Fluidic Circuit Elements and Applications,xe2x80x9d filed Apr. 6, 2001.
The present invention generally relates to microfluidics and more particularly to the design of customized microfluidic systems using a microfluidic computer aided design system. Such customized microfluidic systems may be used, for example, for fluid analysis of biological samples.
Typically microfluidic systems for processing fluid samples employ a series of chambers each configured for subjecting the fluid sample to a specific processing step. As the fluid sample flows through the system sequentially from chamber to chamber, the fluid sample undergoes the processing steps according to a specific protocol. Because different protocols require different configurations, the design and manufacturing of such microfluidic systems can be time-consuming and costly.
Conventional computer aided design tools such as AutoCAD(copyright) are inadequate for the design and layout of microfluidic systems. For instance, AutoCAD(copyright) is a general tool, and has no drawing constraints and provides no specific microfluidic design information associated with a component.
Thus there is a need for computerized design techniques which allow the quick and easy formation of microfluidic systems with different configurations and utilizing different protocols.
The present invention provides for the design of a microfluidic system, including a microfluidic chip or circuit, using a microfluidic computer aided design (CAD) system. The microfluidic CAD system, henceforth referred to as the xe2x80x9cMCADxe2x80x9d system, provides the user with the tools to design, analyze, and implement a customized microfluidic system using a plurality of building block microfluidic components. The MCAD system overcomes the disadvantages of conventional CAD tools by providing, for instance, drawing constraints, design information associated with components, I/O ports, and connectivity to I/O ports, as well as easy layout and manipulation of multilayered components.
In one embodiment the microfluidic system may include a network of single or multi-layer elastomeric structures. In an alternate embodiment some or all the structures may include rigid materials (e.g., silicon-based materials). In yet another embodiment some of the structures may include a mixture of flexible materials, (e.g., elastomeric materials) with the rigid material. Utilization of such an MCAD system can lead to quick and easy implementation of simple to highly complex networks for use in general microfluidic transfer control systems, biological diagnostics systems, etc.
In one embodiment of the present invention a microfluidic device or chip is created from a plurality of microfluidic components according to a design. First a template is selected. Next, the components are placed on the template, manually or automatically, using a placement tool. The components include multilayered components. The components are then routed, manually or automatically, using a routing tool based on preset design rule constraints to achieve a physical layout. Functional analysis (e.g., logical microfluidic flow simulation) and/or physical analysis, (e.g., dynamic microfluidic flow simulation) may then be performed on the physical layout. Following the optional functional analysis and/or physical analysis, the physical layout is used to create the chip layout file, which is later used for fabricating the microfluidic device or chip. In one embodiment of the present invention a microfluidic circuit design method is provided. The method includes developing synthesizable computer code for a design. Next, a microfluidic circuit schematic, including a plurality of symbols for microfluidic components, is generated either interactively or using the synthesizable computer code. A symbol may include at least one control channel and at least one fluid channel. The microfluidic circuit schematic is then functionally simulated. The microfluidic components are placed and routed on a template to form a physical layout. Then the physical layout is physically simulated using dynamic simulation models of the microfluidic components; and the physical layout is written to a layout file.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides a microfluidic circuit design system including one or more of the following: a synthesis module for synthesizing software of a design into a schematic having a plurality of connected symbols of microfluidic components; a design capture module for displaying and manipulating the schematic; a functional analysis module for functionally simulating selected microfluidic components of the schematic; a physical implementation module for placing and routing the microfluidic components into a physical layout according to the design; and a physical analysis module for physically simulating the components in the physical layout.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method, using a physical layout system, for laying out a microfluidic circuit including a plurality of microfluidic components, where the microfluidic components include multilayered components. The method includes: placing a first component of the plurality of microfluidic components; placing a second component of the plurality of microfluidic components; and connecting the first component to the second component.
In another embodiment of the present invention a method is provided, using a computer system, for physically laying out a microfluidic circuit including a plurality of microfluidic components. The method includes: selecting a template; placing a first microfluidic component with an associated property, such as physical scaling, physical property, layer assignment, equations of motion, simulation data, macro logic functions, or functional definition, on the template; placing a second microfluidic component on the template; and connecting the first component to the second component. The connecting may include a design rule check.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention a microfluidic circuit physical layout method, using a computer, is provided. The method includes: selecting a template including an I/O port; placing a microfluidic component on the template, wherein the microfluidic component has a component control channel and a component fluid channel; and connecting the component control channel to the I/O port.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes a method for physical layout of a microfluidic system using a computer aided design tool. The microfluidic system includes a plurality of microfluidic components. First, a template is selected, including a plurality of layers. Next, a first symbol representing a first component of the plurality of microfluidic components is placed. The first symbol includes a first fluid channel symbol and a first control channel symbol. The first control channel symbol and the first fluid channel symbol are on different layers. Next, a second symbol representing a second component of the plurality of microfluidic components is placed. The second symbol includes a second fluid channel symbol. The first fluid channel symbol is connected or routed to the second fluid channel symbol.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for validating a physical layout of a microfluidic circuit design including a plurality of microfluidic components, the method includes placing and routing the plurality of microfluidic components on a template to form the physical layout of the microfluidic circuit design. Next, a dynamic simulation model is determined for each component of the plurality of microfluidic components on the template. Using the physical layout and dynamic simulation models for the plurality of microfluidic components, the physical layout is physically simulated.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for device implementation of a microfluidic circuit including a plurality of microfluidic components. The method includes placing and routing the plurality of microfluidic components on a template to form a physical layout of the microfluidic circuit design. Then the physical layout is written to a layout file to be used for manufacturing. Next, a mask is created for a die of a plurality of dies using the layout file, where the die includes the physical layout. The plurality of dies on a wafer are laid out, where the mask creates the die on the wafer.
An advantage of the present invention is the reduction in time needed to complete the design and implementation of a microfluidic circuit. For example, in one embodiment of the present invention, synthesis, schematic capture, and functional simulation allow an efficient and expedient process of creating and validating an initial design, the physical layout tool allows easy placement and routing of multilayered components on a predefined template, the physical simulation allows the reduction in errors before fabrication, and the die placement tool allows faster wafer mask generation.
The uses and results generated by the present invention include cell based assays (including micro cell sorting, genomic analysis, such as DNA sizing, hybridization, sequencing, quantification, and amplification); protein analysis, crystallization and purification; MS-interface; biochemical and electrophysiological assays, gene expressions; differential display analysis; integrated biological sample preparation; single molecule analysis; drug delivery; diagnostics; and other uses and products related to the chemical, biochemical, biological, electronic, computer, appliance, pharmaceutical, medical, or power industries.
These and other embodiments of the present invention are described in more detail in conjunction with the text below and attached figures.